Pouring carton



March 2, 1948. J. J. sULLlvAN POURING CARTON Filed Oct. 5, 1944 0. 8 3 a 1 Q e n 7 Dn al & 5 ,.L Fi e ,l 7 w/ QQ. k 3

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r wlw Zomnegs Patented Mar. 2, 1948 John J; Sullivan, Arllngto n, Mall., aulgnor of one-half to Lawrie L. Witter, Bolton, Mall.

Application October 5, 1944. Serial No. 557,275

` (c1. zzo-17) This invention relates to cartons provided with means for pouring or dispensing the contents therefrom and more especially to a standdard carton blank and carton so constructed merely by scorings and perforations that the carton can be conveniently opened-for pouring and can thereafter be conveniently and completely reclosed and held 'in-closed position keeping the contents from exposure to dust and the atmosphere, this application being companion to my copending application Serial No. 541,325 led June 21, 1944, now Patent 2,403,138. I am aware that numerous cartons foreifecting this object have been heretofore suggested but to my knowledge such cartons have embodied the employment of elements additional to the carton, the cartons havev been of special or unusual conguration requiringvnew and expensive forming machinery, and other features rendering the cartons more expensive and complicating their manufacture and use have been required. One primary object -of my invention resides in the production of an extremely simple, new and improved carton of this nature solely embodying a standard carton blank so scored and perforated; as to provide a pouring exit when the carton is broken open and adapted thereafter to be fully closed and held in closed position when not in use.

Standard cartons have heretofore been perforated along a curved line through one wall to provide a flap which when bent or broken outwardly loaves a hole through which the contents can be dispensed. This flap is however not adapted to reclosing of the carton and, after opening the carton, its contents are thereafter continuously exposed to the atmosphere I have discovered that by perforating a sarton the form of the invention herein illustrated the closure flap is formed from an edge wall of the carton and so constructed that it directly cooperates with the adjacent body walls' and provides a tight reclosable closure. The production of an improved blank and carton of this nature comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of apreferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustrationv and shown in the accompanying drawing in which,

ton blank.

Fig. 2 .is a fragmentary view of a carton l formed from the blank of Fig.`1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the carton with the closure flap in open position, and

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 2 but showing the flap `in reclosed position.

My invention is applied to a standard carton blank Ill having front and rear body walls I2, edge walls I4, end flaps I8 connected to the walls, and a sealing flap I0 along the free edge of one body wall. The blank is scored along' the Junction line 20 between the body and edge walls and the end flaps and. in accordance with my invention the blank is perforated along a U-shaped line 22 extending inwardly of one edge wall I4 from two corners 25 of such wall to an apex 24. lThis wall I4 is also cut or perforated along two lines 28 intersecting the line 22 at opposite sides of the apex 24 and extending inwardly of the blank therefrom. The blank is also preferably perforated along the crease line 30 at 21 from the corners 25 to two points 28 and from thence the blank is scored directly across the end flaps at 30.

When the blank as above prepared is folded into a carton 40, the two scorings 30 overlap and furthermore these scorings are preferably so lo cated that they also overlap the outer end edge of the flap I6 therebetween. When it is desired to use the contents of the carton, the walls are broken along the perforated lines 22, 28 and 21 thereby freeing the closure flap 42 for outward tightly reclosed against exterior exposure. In

pivotal movement about the scoring 30. In the open position illustrated in Fig. 3 the contents of the carton can be poured from a corner of the carton as indicated at 44'.

When the carton is not in yuse the closure 42 can be placed in the closed position illustrated in Fig. 4 in which position' the converging edges of the closure -flap engage frictionally within the slots at 28 and the closure flap is disposed within thel carton with its marginal walls in close and frietional contact with the adjacent walls I2 and I4. In such position the closure flap not only provides complete and tight reclosure of the carton about the entire margin of the closure flap and the adjacent walls o! the opening' but furthermore the closure ilap ,is securely maintained in that position by its frictional contact with the walls l2 and Il and within the slits 26. vThe ilap is brought to the closed position by gripping the apex and between thumb and ilnger and pulling the flap into the slots 28, and the closure flap is conveniently reopened merely by lifting it by contact of a linger with the apex end of the flap (Fig. 4). It will be apparent that the frictional engagement will serve its holding function regardless of the use oi.' the carton and numerous l opening and closing of the closure.

It will now -be apparent that my invention provides a carton which can be readily opened to a position providing a pouring spout, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and which embodies a closure 42 which can be readily and conveniently replaced and held in closed position', illustrated in Fig. 4, and thus completely protect the contents from dust and exposure to the atmosphere when the carton is not in use. It will furthermore be noted that these novel features are provided on a standard carton blank merely by perforating and preferably scoring the carton as described and illus- 4 said edge wall, the carton'being adapted to be opened along said perforated lines to provide a closure ilap disposed within and between the lines and pivot-ally attached to said end wall along a line connecting said spaced points, said edge wall being cut to provide two slits spaced from and at opposite sides of said mid-point and respectively intersecting said perforated lines at points located intermediately ot said mid-point and the adjacent corners oi' the carton and extending therefrom in a direction away from said end wall, said closure flap including a V-shaped iree end portion terminating in a ilnger gripping apex and the slits being adapted to receive and frictionally grip the V-margins oi' said free end portion and permit closing movement of the closure flap inwardly of the carton and in frictional contact with the two face walls and said edge wall whereby providing and maintaining complete and tight reclosure of the carton about the entire margin of the closure ilap and the adjacent walls of the opening.

JOHN J. s'tiuvAN. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

